Thursday, November 1, 2012

school : a new beginning

This morning we tentatively walked through the school gates in preparation for kindergarten orientation. I was sad, Daniel was nervous/excited and Che was a little overwhelmed. We are really blessed to live in the catchment area for a small, sweet school that has a wonderful reputation. We were welcomed into the courtyard with open arms and within minutes Che was introduced to his "buddy," Liam, who turned out to be the loveliest 11-year-old boy I have ever met. I watched him guide Che around the school, gently placing a hand on his shoulder and then crouching to make eye contact as they talked. Daniel and I stood back and observed. And then we exhaled. I'm not sure if Liam will ever quite understand the extent of his kindness but as a mum quite reluctant to send my first born off to school, he made the transition so much easier - for all of us. He even pronounced Che's name correctly - oh thank you!While Che and Liam visited the kindergarten rooms and made fabulous paper hats, Daniel and I went to the library to meet the principal and hear a little bit more about uniforms, school procedures and canteen. It all feels very real now...it all feels really good.After sampling the pizza and cupcakes from the school canteen (for the very reasonable price of $1.60), Daniel is rather excited about volunteering for "snack shack" duty.